'Ash Vs Evil Dead' Trailer: Conjuring Up That Old Bloody Magic

Horror rarely seems to premiere around Halloween any more; it's always a summer opening, or early in the year. But Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are bringing the Evil Dead back to screens on Halloween this year, as their series Ash vs Evil Dead will hit Starz on Saturday October 31 at 9pm. The first Ash vs Evil Dead trailer is here now, and you can watch it below.

That's promising! I was super-anxious about this show and now I'm dying to see the premiere.

The "old Ash" gags are fun (dentures? hell yeah. please let there be a deadite-killing denture gag) as is the idea that Ash is totally ready to get back into action at a moment's notice. Raimi's "splatstick" approach to the Evil Dead series reached its height with Evil Dead 2, and this footage looks like he's aiming right for that sort of tone.

And look at all the blood! There was a time when Sam Raimi had to be careful in using copious blood, to dodge ratings. Greg Nicotero once explained,

The ratings board has problems with blood. If it was blue blood, it wouldn't be a problem, like with Evil Dead 2; we had black blood, green blood, orange blood, etc.

Now things are different. In a world with Hannibal (well, RIP) loads of blood just isn't a big deal, even on TV. And Raimi is pouring it on.

Here's the trailer's press release.

The Series from Original filmmakers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell is set to Premiere Saturday, October 31 at 9 PM

Beverly Hills, Calif., July 10, 2015 – STARZ today announced the highly anticipated premiere of original series "Ash vs Evil Dead" on Saturday, October 31 at 9 PM ET/PT and released the first live action trailer during the series' Comic Con panel in San Diego. The 10-episode first season of the half-hour series is executive produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell, the original filmmakers of the franchise, and Craig DiGregorio who serves as executive producer and showrunner. "Ash vs Evil Dead," which is currently in production in New Zealand, is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film franchise The Evil Dead.Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its "Evil" grip.The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, "Burn Notice") in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless ("Salem," "Spartacus") as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago ("Touch," Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash's loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones ("Sleepy Hollow") as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.Raimi directed the first episode of "Ash vs Evil Dead" that he wrote with Ivan Raimi (Darkman, Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell), and Tom Spezialy ("Chuck," "Reaper," "Desperate Housewives"). Raimi also serves as executive producer, with Rob Tapert (Evil Dead, "Spartacus," Xena: Warrior Princess") and Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, "Burn Notice") along with Craig DiGregorio ("Workaholics," "Chuck") who serves as executive producer/showrunner. Ivan Raimi serves as co-executive producer and Aaron Lam ("Spartacus") and Chloe Smith ("Spartacus") serve as producers.